Temporal patterns in the larval supply of summer-recruiting reef fishes to Lee Stocking Island, Bahamas

Moored plankton nets were used to monitor the supply of settlement-stage reef fishes to benthc habltats on Great Bahamas Bank in the vlclmty of Lee Stocklng Island, Exuma Sound, Bahamas A total of 55 771 flshes, representing 53 taxa, were captured In 79 d of samphng from June to September 1992 Reef fish larvae were extremely abundant in the samples, particularly the f a d e s Labndae, Apogomdae, Bahshdae, Ophchthdae and Scandae Almost all hsh were taken In mght collecbons, and dscrete hde samphng suggested most settlement-stage flshes were movlng onshore dunng flood hdes Verhcal dlstnbuhons were taxon speclflc, wlth some taxa concentrated m surface nets whde others were more abundant in md-water collecbons Larval supply of a number of taxa occurred almost entlrely dunng several days around the new moon m early July, whde other f a d e s showed more consistent, although stdl episodic, replemshment patterns Tlme senes analysis found evldence of sem-lunar cycling In the larval supply of scands and ophichthids, lunar c y c h g in gobnds, bothds and apogonlds, and acychc replemshment in clupeids, blenmoids, labnds and bahstids Crosscorrelahons between larval supply and meteoroloycal and hydrographlc vanables found siglllficant assoclabons m the f a m l e s Gobudae, Apogonldae, Blennloidei and Labndae.Significant correlahons were dnven by a large pulse of replenishment of all these taxa comcldlng with a relaxauon of southeast trade wmds This event apparently caused a reversal in the d~rection of longshore currents and generated signlflcant onshore current flow Settlement-stage larvae may have been transported from the northern r e y o n of Exuma Sound to Lee Stoclung Island Alternatively, larvae may have been entramed from offshore waters in the southern Sound and advected across the shelf to reef areas